Inner workings
by mindless-junk-247
Summary: River delves into the mind of Jayne Cobb and sees its not as simple as she first thought it would be. Of course, being a reader she knows just how to cheat. Pre-Rayne/ Rayne


**A/N:** Just a oneshot about how possibly a Jayne and River relationship starts, of course, River cheats. Read and review.

**Disclaimer: **Joss I will beat you in that next game of poker and then, world domination!! Ha, yeah, not mine :(

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It's a façade.

That's her immediate thought as she delves into his inner mind. Everything he does and says is a façade for everyone around him. He's not as simple as he first appears. His contradictive and complicated, a little confusing and this is why River finds most of her attention on the man-ape gone wrong thing, trying to decipher the mystery that is Jayne Cobb.

The first contradictory of him is his love for women. Naturally, he's attracted to whores, she doesn't need to be a reader to know this. He treats every woman he meets with as much respect as he does anyone he pays to 'play' with.

Except them. Zoë, he'll never admit it, but he's slightly scared of her. Perhaps it's because she served in the war before joining the crew and how she punched Wash the first time she met him for no good reason at all. Because she felt like it.

Inara is a strange topic. River sees that he recognises her job as an 'expensive' whore with silky clothes and degrees. Not just in it for the money but for the respect and nobility. But that doesn't seem to stop him from holding back the whore remarks. Maybe one or two he'd call her out on it, but not much. River was still struggling to find the real reason behind the many layers of his thinking.

Kaylee was sunshine and strawberries. The opposite of a whore and the fact that she reminded Jayne of his sister at home stopped him treating her as a whore. That, and the fact that he knew no whore would ever work in an engine room if they could. Of course, that 'sisterly' bond he felt with her, meant that she was inclined to some teasing. River sees that he never meant any of his comments to cut her as deeply as they do. Regret at every fall of a smile on her face caused because of him.

He's a tough mercenary who doesn't hold back the snide, snark, cruel and sometimes embarrassing comments.

Except for them.

And his mother he has the utmost respect for. This, she found out, was because his mother was the one who taught him many philosophies as a child. That and that he adores having somebody in the world who will love him no matter what he does or will do. This caused a few cogs in River's mind to stop.

She shook them off eventually and carried on into her delving. She knows that he doesn't think about the simplest of things all of the time. Guns, everyone around him, seem to be just a bunch of toys for the man. But for Jayne its like taking care of children. If one of them is hurt, bent or broken then the rest lose their value too and it becomes unusable. He has a complicated procedure, which River could turn into a simple rhythm, that ensures he knows that his guns are properly cleaned and not likely to jam or explode on him.

The next thing she always notices is that he does in fact have some sort of morals. River automatically assumed that because he killed people for a living, that he wouldn't have much of a heart. But he does.

He prays.

Or does on the odd occasion. But he believes in the after life and the whole Heaven, Hell and God deal that happens once you breathe your last breath. Despite his job and the obscurity of someone like him believing in such a tiny and seemingly impossible thing, he does.

He goes against the grain of mercenaries and goes against the gradient. Jayne climbs up the slide whilst everyone else takes the easy route down. River sees the rough, tough, gruff exterior he puts on. The one that looks ready to refuse to help anybody and to follow the rules of the ship.

Wrong.

He does those things, often because of the Captain. River sees that Malcolm Reynolds is probably the one man that Jayne has had the most respect for. Especially if he has had the longest running and best paid job with the man. But she doesn't factor that into the equation. The thought of a man willing to shake their ass at the Alliance, laugh in their face and take every opportunity to mock them, but still be able to keep control of the situation without getting booked, earns the mercenary's respect already.

Something that River sees, is hard for him to give out.

River sees the façade that Jayne puts on for the 'verse to see. A tough man with enough guns and knives to kill you a thousand ways from here until next year. But underneath it all, he's got a certain morale for those he likes to call friends. He's kinder, less harsh and has a lot more respect for them then anybody else.

However vile he may appear to be, always looking for the better price, he's still glad when he sits at that table in the galley to see everyone in there, chattering away and smiling like nothing was wrong. Even if this moment is right after they've escaped near death, he enjoys it.

River tilts her head as she watches him play cards with Simon and Book. His blues eyes catch hers slightly and he quickly looks away. She studies him even more as she delves into his mind once more. It intrigues her as to what she hears, a loopy smile fills her face as images trail along.

But he won't move first.

Usually if he wants a woman he'll tell her that exactly. But not her, so many things he can find wrong with it and so many he can find right that it tears at his mind, confusing him as he puts all of his concentration into the cards in his hand. She abandons her crayons and sits down in the chair next to him. A glance her way and she peers around to look at his hand, "Those two," she points out and he falters for a split second. His eyes fix on hers before slowly retreating back to his hand.

"Oh," he mumbled. It continues like this as she points and he grumbles about dealing crazy in to stop her pestering him. At the mention she'd decline and go back to pointing out the cards.

Simon dealt out another hand, his eyes trained on the two of them doesn't go amiss to her and she smiles joyfully at him as she stands. Bending towards Jayne, preoccupied with rearranging his cards, she whispers in his ear, "I'll be in your bunk." Pulling away she smiled with victory at his stumped expression.

She skipped off towards the door that would lead to her room to avoid suspicion, her brother was suspicious enough. At the boundary she stopped and turned to face the table, "Your move, an' I ain't playin'," she mimicked before disappearing and slipping away.

It was later on, her sat in his bunk, that he entered and just stared at her. She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He bent down slowly, hands on her waist as he placed an uncertain kiss upon her cheek. River stood on the tips of her toes and planted one on his lips, allowing it to spin off from there.

River understood the façade that he wore.

She also understood how to get inside it.


End file.
